Mark Madden stories, Page 13

The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Now we find out who’s really been at fault for the Steelers’ scared, limp offense. Here’s thinking it hasn’t been Canada. Here’s betting we see more of the same. Will quarterback Kenny Pickett use the middle of the field now? Will Pickett...

Kenny Pickett is one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks. He should be benched. The Steelers are 6-4, but when they’ve won, it’s mostly been despite Pickett. “Fourth-quarter Kenny” was absent Sunday at Cleveland. Right after Pickett failed to summon a game-winning drive in the game’s final 15 minutes, Browns rookie...

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed two defensive touchdowns to win their Week 2 game against Cleveland. They might need the same when they visit the Browns on Sunday. The breaks are going the Steelers’ way. Deshaun Watson, the Browns starting quarterback, is out for the season with shoulder problems. His replacement,...

Our nation is in freefall for many reasons. The decline of journalism is one of them. Journalism practiced correctly is about truth. But journalism these days is about entertainment and has become tribal. Injecting Charissa Thompson and sports into that mix is a bit dramatic. Sports, in the big picture,...

It’s OK to cheat. Jim Harbaugh’s three-game nonsuspension from his duties as Michigan football coach is a reminder. Harbaugh can coach at practice. He can game plan. You know he’s in communication with his staff during games he’s “suspended” from. Harbaugh’s impact is not being at all minimized. (You don’t...

Here’s the good news: The Steelers have found a few positives to hang their helmets on. Their running game has erupted behind the insertion of rookie Broderick Jones at right tackle and the diverse combination of power back Najee Harris and scatback Jaylen Warren. The pair totaled 183 rushing yards...

Here are 10 factoids about prodigal son Jaromir Jagr, who returns to Pittsburgh to get his No. 68 retired Feb. 18 at PPG Paints Arena. And that’ll be the way to get along… • Jagr played for nine NHL teams. But he’s most remembered as a Penguin. It’s where he...

It’s time for refreshing Penguins notes, with a San Jose Sharks chaser! Who’s worse, the Sharks or the 1983-84 Penguins that tanked by way of drafting Mario Lemieux? I watched the latter team extensively. I don’t want to think about it. • Just keep Bryan Rust out there in overtime....

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ culture, at least the portion created by coach Mike Tomlin, is uneven and flawed. Chuks Okorafor lost the starting job at right tackle because he “acted out” during the Oct. 29 loss to Jacksonville. Okorafor said or did something Tomlin didn’t like. This switch was past due...

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 10-2 win at San Jose on Saturday was fun but insignificant. The Sharks (0-10-1) may be historically bad. The Penguins (4-6-0, last in the Metropolitan Division) started their season rotten against perhaps the easiest part of their schedule. That victory, while needed, is like slapping a butterfly...

Bobby Knight was barely dead when the excuse-making started. His constant boorish behavior was justified in the name of winning, just like always. “Knight turned boys into men.” Sometimes by assaulting them. We wonder if today’s athletes are too soft, deftly making Knight’s sadistic tyranny, browbeating and intimidation that much...

The Pittsburgh Steelers should change their rally song. Stick with Styx. But try “Grand Illusion” instead of “Renegade.” The Steelers have been outgained in every game, and by 790 yards on the season. They have been outscored by 30 points. Their quarterback is pedestrian: Kenny Pickett completed just two passes...

Sports talker Clay Travis proposes a basketball game between the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and a state champ boys high school basketball team. (Travis didn’t specify a state or team.) Travis wants to wager $1 million. If Las Vegas wins, the Aces get Travis’ money. If the boys win,...

Rookie quarterback Will Levis made his NFL debut for Tennessee on Sunday. Levis did extremely well: He completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 130.5. The Titans beat Atlanta, 28-23. That’s of interest for two reasons. • The Titans and Levis visit...

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has the “it” factor, we’re told. The clutch gene. That’s good. Because what Pickett doesn’t have are the raw statistics. Pickett has passed for over 300 yards once in 19 NFL games (18 starts). He’s thrown two touchdown passes once. His passer rating has been over...

Media stooges try to make the NFL trade deadline seem like the MLB trade deadline for the purpose of engagement. But it’s not nearly the same. The number of meaningful deals is minimal. In baseball, individual results are cobbled together to produce a team score. Players move easily from team...

Going into the season, there were a few things that could possibly go wrong for the Penguins. Right now, lots of them are: • They’re defensively vulnerable in every way possible. That’s because the Penguins play loose, and not necessarily to be blamed on their defensemen. • Their physicality is...

When you’ve got a lot of sidebars, combine them into a dazzling edition of refreshing Steelers notes. Beautiful like the fall foliage! • T.J. Watt won the Cleveland game and won Sunday’s game at Los Angeles. He’s directly responsible for two of the Steelers’ four wins. Watt got no sacks...

We’ve lost the plot when it comes to Halls of Fame. Halls of Fame used to be grandiose and special. Look at the Baseball Hall of Fame’s first class: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner and Babe Ruth. Unimpeachable. It was a special honor for special athletes. Halls...

The compilation of rankings (lists, Top 10s, Mount Rushmores, etc.) is both a staple and the bane of the modern sports “journalism” existence. Such endeavors are well-read but lazy. You jot names/teams/events down until you’ve reached your prescribed number. It’s easy to generate debate, especially with yourself to start. You...

The Pittsburgh Steelers face a similar team Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams are meh but have a fistful of dangerous players, just like the Steelers. But who’s going to cover Rams receiver Cooper Kupp? Who’s going to block Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald? The Rams have a better coach and...

So far, so good for the Penguins. Well, except for that opening-night debacle vs. Chicago, a sure-shot draft lottery team. But two out of three ain’t bad. MA! THE MEAT LOAF! The most encouraging development might be the synergy between defensemen Kris Letang and new boy Erik Karlsson. They will...

Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi said the Pittsburgh Steelers should trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. One local radio talk show seized that scrap and thrashed about for the best part of an afternoon. Steelers X, of course, went bonkers. Cousins to the Steelers has zero chance of happening....

The persecution of Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada is Pittsburgh’s bad obsession. (You ain’t special. So who you foolin’?) “Fire Canada” chants at the Penguins game. “Fire Canada” signs displayed out of context at nationally televised events. The entire city has united, not for a good cause but in the...

We’re in the era of predetermined blame. No matter what goes wrong with the Steelers, it’s Matt Canada’s fault. The head coach can be a fraud, the quarterback can stink, but everything bad is the offensive coordinator’s fault. You don’t like him in the first place. (More on Canada later.)...